Why Alex Otti, Charles Soludo, and Two Other Top Igbo Figures Missed Out on Atiku’s VP Ticket — Kenneth Okonkwo reveals

ADC spokesperson Kenneth Okonkwo has opened up on how Abia State Governor Alex Otti’s name came up as a potential running mate for Atiku Abubakar and why a simple party rule ultimately locked him out of contention.

Speaking on the process that led to Rotimi Amaechi’s emergence as the ADC’s vice-presidential pick, Okonkwo said the coalition had insisted from the outset that the running mate must come from the Southeast.

“So within that context was when I said you must pick someone from the southeast and he agreed,” Okonkwo said.

But the plan hit a snag when Peter Obi, initially seen as the frontrunner for that slot, left the coalition. “We were thrown into confusion,” Okonkwo admitted. “But I still insisted that they should look for the Southeast.”

That’s when Otti’s name entered the conversation alongside a list of other prominent Southeasterners.

“They were mentioning some wonderful names, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Kingsley Moghalu. They even say Governor Otti. Some even say Governor Soludo, Wonderful people, but they’re not members of ADC.” – Okonkwo said.

According to Okonkwo, ADC rules required any vice-presidential candidate to have been a registered party member for at least 21 days before the primary a threshold none of the floated Southeast names, including Otti, could meet.

“So we are now disadvantaged,” he said.

Okonkwo said he had hoped the coalition would at least extend the courtesy of formally briefing Southeast leaders on the constraint, even if a Southeast candidate couldn’t ultimately be fielded.

“You have to give them the respect of calling all their leaders and telling them, look, these are my situation, these are my handicap, adding that failing to do so before Amaechi’s eventual announcement was what initially drew his public objection”. he said,

Okonkwo further explained that Atiku’s handling of the fallout changed his mind. Rather than dismiss his concerns, the former Vice President reached out personally and began renegotiating with all sides.

“He didn’t say, throw him away. He said, no, his reservations are genuine. Go and negotiate with him, describing the episode as proof that Atiku is “truly a Democrat.” Okonkwo said

The reconciliation culminated in Okonkwo’s appointment as Atiku’s spokesperson a role he took up despite having publicly criticised the Amaechi pick just weeks earlier.